Charges: Shorewood Woman Stowed Man's Body in Freezer

A Shorewood woman was charged with murder Monday in her boyfriend's death.

According to the criminal complaint, 29-year-old Jetaun Wheeler was charged with intentional murder in the second degree.

Prosecutors say she killed her 55-year-old boyfriend with a sharp object, then put his body in a freezer in the garage at their duplex on Wood Duck Circle.

According to the complaint, the man's family contacted the South Lake Minnetonka Police Department Tuesday, Aug. 13, to report he was missing. They had expected him to arrive in Chicago Aug. 13, but he never showed up. They hadn't heard from him since July 31.

Police went with the man's brother to the home on Aug. 13. Wheeler told officers that she last saw her boyfriend Saturday, Aug. 3, around 11 a.m. She said she dropped him off at the Megabus stop in Minneapolis.

She said the man was going to Chicago and she had not seen or heard from him since. She told police she did not have his phone number or address.

A friend of Wheeler's boyfriend told police he spoke to him July 31. Wheeler's boyfriend allegedly said he was having domestic trouble and he was leaving for Chicago. The victim told his friend Wheeler had assaulted him the week before and that "she was crazy."

Officers returned to Wheeler's home Aug. 21 to execute a search warrant. During the search, investigators found two pieces of carpet rolled up under Wheeler's mattress. One piece was soaked with a "blood-like substance."

Officers found the man's body in a freezer in the garage. He was wrapped in plastic and duct tape. The freezer appeared to be new. Officers also found several bags of clothing and shoes. The apparel appeared to have blood-like stains.

Police arrested Wheeler after finding the man's body.

An autopsy revealed the man had blunt force trauma injuries to his face and head. There was no evidence of pre-existing injuries or disease. The medical examiner "tentatively concluded" that this case is a homicide.